Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research

On Thursday, around 75 of our colleagues set out for our annual institute-wide outing! This year's destination was Bad Urach and the castle ruins of Hohenneuffen. It was foggy and rainy, but a great day out! Read more at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8845563/2025...

Early this month, we finished the summer holidays with a Science Summer Camp, turning the institute into a playground of curiosity and discovery. Twenty children, aged 10 to 13, filled the labs with laughter, questions, and experiments. www.fkf.mpg.de/8840936/2025...

How can scientific evidence guide political decisions? And how can researchers take an active role in democratic debate? These are the central questions of the Max Planck Science Policy Winter School (MP-SPWS), taking place January 25–30, 2026, in Berlin! Learn more: www.fkf.mpg.de/mpsps

Yesterday, we participated in the AOK-Firmenlauf in Ludwigsburg with our team "The FKF-Nanorunners team." Our team consisted of 16 runners from 10 different nations, and together achieved an impressive 19th out of 142 mixed teams! Well done runners!

Open call for Free-Floating Max Planck Research Groups!
Early-career researchers (≤7 yrs post-PhD) can apply for a fully funded 6-yr group at a Max Planck Institute of their choice (incl. at our institute!) Learn more and apply at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8832208/2025...

Join us for a symposium on quantum geometry, topology & correlations in quantum materials. We’ll explore cutting-edge research on semimetals, magnets & superconductors, with speakers from Japan & Germany. A chance to connect, discuss, and spark new collaborations. www.fkf.mpg.de/8817964/geom...

Mit dem Start des neuen Ausbildungsjahres heißen wir vier neue Auszubildende an unserem Institut herzlich willkommen! Wir freuen uns, junge Menschen auf ihrem Weg ins Berufsleben zu begleiten und mit ihnen gemeinsam die Fachkräfte von morgen auszubilden!

Prof. Jochen Maier discusses why see cycles of exciting and disappointment—in tech, fashion, economics, and society at large!
By linking expectation–reality gaps with memory, he shows how simple models can explain periodic sociological phenomena. Read more at:
www.leopoldina.org/en/publicati...

Dynamic breathing behaviour of the titanium-based metal–organic framework NTU-9 upon adsorption of water and organic solvents Understanding the structural response of framework materials to external stimuli has been of great interest. However, little is known about the stimuli responsiveness of titanium-based metal–organic f...

Check out our Chemical Science work led by Julia, showing the dynamic breathing behaviour of the titanium-based MOF NTU-9!
Detailed structural analysis was the key to the findings 🧐

Congratulations Julia on your first paper! 🎉🎊

pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

📣 We're offering fully funded PhD positions in Condensed Matter Science! Join the International Max Planck Research School, and get involved in a cutting-edge research project in a vibrant, interdisciplinary, and multicultural environment. 📅 Apply by Sep 30 at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8819619/job_...

#OnThisDay in 2010, The Precision Laboratory began construction with a ground-breaking ceremony. Today, the lab provides an environment for the most sensitive experiments, shielded from seismic, acoustic, and electromagnetic noise. More more at: www.fkf.mpg.de/2489208/01_P...

We have developed NEARS — a method to directly measure the Higgs mode in high-temperature superconductors. Like a “fingerprint” for superconductors, it reveals their hidden symmetries and internal structure.
www.fkf.mpg.de/8818866/2025...
#Physics #Superconductivity #HiggsMode

How do you coax a quantum spin liquid into existence? In the kapellasite family, rare-earth chemical pressure and subtle disorder create just the right conditions — with a striking structural transition at Dy.
Read more: journals.aps.org/prresearch/a...

Everyone needs Science, Science needs Everyone was our slogan at this years Pride! 🎉

We do research together, we celebrate together. Science is better when everyone is seen and valued. 🌈🔬 #InclusiveScience #PrideinSTEM #chemsky

New photos! Check out these hilarious moments from last month's Kohl & Pinkel festival! A tradition at our institute dating back over 50 years, where the directors compete in a series of silly games, and our staff and scientists gather for merry-making!

🔬 From quantum tech to fusion reactors, superconductivity powers the future. Join leading scientists at M2S-2026 to explore the frontier of superconducting materials, theory & applications. 📅 Learn more here: www.fkf.mpg.de/8760227/2026...
#Superconductivity #M2S2026

We're celebrating the international year of quantum science and technology! Next in our series, we hear from Gideok Kim, the head of our thin film technology group. He poses the question: what could one do, if one could building materials with atomic-layer precision?

Ministry meets science! This week, a delegation from the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts BW visited us. They explored our new high-res TEM microscope, the precision lab, and research on batteries & magnons. Learn more on the great exchange at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8797801/2025...

Programmable DNA Moiré Superlattices: Expanding the Design Space at the Nanoscale

These programmable lattices could power advances in spintronics, nanophotonics & metamaterials — with uses from quantum scaffolds to soft robotics.
This is about expanding what’s buildable at the molecular level.
🔗 Read more: www.fkf.mpg.de/8760008/2025...
#MoiréMaterials #Nanoscience

Instead of stacking materials manually, they encode twist angles & lattice geometry into the DNA itself, then let it self-assemble into moiré patterns with nanometer precision.
A new bottom-up method to build square, honeycomb & kagome lattices — even gradient structures!

🧬 We worked with the University of Stuttgart to develop programmable DNA moiré superlattices — unlocking an entirely new way to build structured matter at the nanoscale. Published in Nature Nanotechnology. #NanoTech #DNAorigami

We're celebrating the international year of quantum science and technology! Next in our series, we hear from Mahsa Zamani, who helps us answer whether quantum mechanics can be brought into new technologies!

Heard of Scanning Tunneling Luminescence? It combines atomic-scale imaging with picosecond time resolution to reveal charge & light emission dynamics in single molecules—using ultrafast voltage pulses and photon correlations to probe quantum systems. Learn more: www.fkf.mpg.de/6562102/04_S...

Breaking Barriers in Hydrogen Isotope Separation A team of researchers from Tohoku University, Max Planck Institute, and international collaborators has  unveiled a new material that could transform how we separate hydrogen isotopes — a process…

It’s not just a lab trick — the building blocks are commercially available, and the design is scalable. A real step toward greener, more efficient isotope separation.
🔗 Read more: www.fkf.mpg.de/8755779/2025...
#MaterialsScience #MOF #FusionEnergy #QuantumMaterials

The MOF shows record-high selectivity for deuterium (D₂) over hydrogen (H₂) at 60 K — enriching D₂ from 5% to 75% in one cycle. This works thanks to quantum effects + smart pore design that traps D₂ more tightly. ⚛️❄️

🚀 New breakthrough from us at the Max Planck Institute, Tohoku Univ & global partners: a porous material (MOF) that separates hydrogen isotopes with exceptional efficiency — crucial for fusion, clean energy & research. #SciComm #Hydrogen

It was such a pleasure to visit and give a talk at the @mpifkf.bsky.social ... the "noise-free" Precision Lab (2nd photo) is truly impressive. Thank you to Bettina Lotsch and the @lotschgroup.bsky.social for hosting!

Last night, we continued a tradition that dates back to 1977 — the famous Kohl and Pinkel party! This year's theme was medieval, filled with knights, dragons and magicians! The night was filled with laughter, legend, and a new Kohl Queen! 🏹⚔️ Read more at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8759364/2025...

We had a great #SciComm meet-up this week at our institute!
It involved a tour of our precision lab, followed by inspiring insights into SciComm via role-playing games (thanks to Tanja Desch for the presentation), and creative exchange among colleagues! We're already looking forward to next time!

New paper just dropped in JACS! 🧪

How does CALF-20 actually changes its bulk structure when exposed to CO₂ & H₂O? Thanks to in situ lab X-ray diffraction, you can now check our latest insights! 👇

🔗 pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

#Chemsky